Albert Henry Fullwood's major contribution as an official war artist was to record aspects of the First World War which others may not have noticed or have taken for granted. His works have a narrative element that captures the mood and atmosphere of a scene.

Fullwood studied at the Birmingham School of Art and was already an experienced etcher when he arrived in Sydney in December 1883 and obtained work as a lithographic draughtsman and designer. He contributed illustrations to the Australian Town and Country Journal, and to the Bulletin where he signed his cartoons 'Remus,' and he was appointed a staff artist on the Picturesque Atlas of Australasia.

During the 1880s he worked with fellow artists Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts at their camp at Sirius Cove, Sydney. From 1884 he exhibited his paintings with the Art Society of New South Wales, and subsequently with the NSW Society of Artists in the mid-1890s. In 1896 he married Clyda Blanche Newman, daughter of photographer John Hubert Newman.

Driven out of Australia by economic depression, Fullwood and his family left Sydney for the United States in 1899. They stopped in South Africa for some days during which time Fullwood sketched and painted the slave markets and some barracks in Cape Town and the Table Top Mountains. From the United States they moved to London where Fullwood designed postcards and worked as a freelance illustrator, receiving commissions from newspapers and journals, including the London newspaper The Graphic.

From April 1915 until November 1917 Fullwood served with the Royal Army Medical Corps as an orderly at the 3rd London General Hospital at Wandsworth in the company of fellow artists George Coates, Tom Roberts and Arthur Streeton. Here, he contributed an aerial view of the hospital and an illustration for General Birdwood's Christmas message to the Anzacs in 1915 to the hospital's Gazette.

Fullwood was subsequently appointed an official war artist, attached to the 5th Division AIF, working in France between May and August 1918, and in France and Belgium from December 1918 to January 1919. He was given the rank of honorary lieutenant, and he spent four months in all on the battlefields.

Returning to Australia in 1920 after his commission had been terminated, he became a foundation member of the Australian Painter-Etchers' Society and the Australian Watercolour Institute. During the 1920s he concentrated on etching and visited New Zealand in 1925 and again in 1928. He died from pneumonia in Waverley in October 1930.

Rolls and Awards

Collection Items

Art

Depicts the chateau at Ham-sur-Heure, which was the Australian Imperial Force Corps headquarters in the liberated area after the Armistice. The ground is covered in snow and the trees are bare.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and...

Depicts the visit of the Prince of Wales to the chateau at Ham-sur-Heure during the Christmas and New Year of 1918-19. The chateau was used as the headquarters for the Australian Imperial Force Corps in the liberated areas after the Armistice. Two horsemen are riding past sentries at the gate of...

Watercolour and charcoal sketch depicting a view of the liberated town Solre-le-Chateau, which was the headquarters of 5th Australian Division, Australian Imperial Force. The image shows the church and bell tower, town hall and central square, with soldiers and civilians and military lorries....

Watercolour and charcoal sketch depicting a view of the liberated village of Ham-sur-Heure, where the housing for the Australian Imperial Force Corps headquarters was located. The image depicts a road with soldiers, a lorry and telegraph poles leading to the village of Ham-sur-Heure. Albert Henry...

Depicts three Australian soldiers watching a civilian shoeing a horse, the horse is in a portable crush. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman , working on the staff of illustrated journals...

Depicts a view of the main square of the recently liberated Ham-sur-Heure, with buildings decorated with Belgian flags, and men and trucks from the Australian Imperial Force Corps headquarters. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and...

Depicts a view of a street and bridge in the recently liberated town of Ham-sur-Heure, which was the headquarters of Australian Imperial Force Corps. There are several soldiers and civilians walking through the street and a soldier on horseback traversing the bridge. Albert Henry Fullwood was born...

Depicts two officers of the 5th Division AIF working at desks in 'Q' office, St Gratien. The officer at the left desk is Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Maurice Ralph, DSO, and the officer at the right desk is Colonel Julius Henry Bruche, CB, CMG, both Assistant Adjutant and Quarter Master General...

Portrait study of Major General (later Lieutenant General) Sir Joseph J Talbot Hobbs, KCB, KCMG, VD, commanding Australian Field Artillery, 5th Australian Division (later Aust Corps), at the St Gratien headquarters. He is seated at a table with papers spread across it as he works.
Albert Henry...

Depicts a view of the Belgian village of Ham-sur-Heure, liberated after the Armistice, and the headquarters of the AIF Corps. The church tower is visible in the middle distance, and the field in the foreground is being plowed by a village farmer. The image conveys the attempt of local villagers to...

Depicts a view of the 3rd General Hospital at Wandsworth, South-West London, from a balloon. The hospital is a large permanent building, surrounded by temporary pavilion wards laid out in Nightingale pattern. On the skyline are the dome of St Paul's Cathedral and towers of the Houses of Parliament....

This drawing is one of two works that A Henry Fullwood submitted for the State Library of Victoria mural competition held in 1922. The mural design was one of 13 entrants by artists including Hilda Rix Nicholas, George Lambert, Napier Waller, H Septimus Power and John Longstaff. H Septimus Power...

Depicts the sketch outline and silhouettes of a group of Australian official artists who were attached to the different divisions of the AIF during the First World War. Depicted in the painting are, standing l-r; John Longstaff (1), Charles Bryant (2), George Lambert (3), Henry Fullwood (4), James...

This drawing is one of two works that A Henry Fullwood submitted for the State Library of Victoria mural competition held in 1922. The mural design was one of 13 entrants by artists including Hilda Rix Nicholas, George Lambert, Napier Waller, H Septimus Power and John Longstaff. H Septimus Power...

Depicts a view of the ramparts of Ypres from the Menin Gate, showing a war ravaged landscape and a flock of birds flying through the sky. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman , working on the...

This drawing is one of two works that A Henry Fullwood submitted for the State Library of Victoria mural competition held in 1922. The mural design was one of 13 entrants by artists including Hilda Rix Nicholas, George Lambert, Napier Waller, H Septimus Power and John Longstaff. H Septimus Power...

This drawing is one of two works that A Henry Fullwood submitted for the State Library of Victoria mural competition held in 1922. The mural design was one of 13 entrants by artists including Hilda Rix Nicholas, George Lambert, Napier Waller, H Septimus Power and John Longstaff. H Septimus Power...

Depicts the encampment at Coisy of the 5th Division AIF, with soldiers resting. There are tents amid trees, four officers in middle distance talking and one sitting against a tree reading, and three men in foreground, one standing and two sitting reading. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in...

Depicts the interrogation of a German prisoner of war at the Heilly headquarters of the 5th Division, 15th brigade, AIF. The Brigade Intelligence officer is sitting at a table with the German prisoner of war and his guard standing before him.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England...

Depicts a group of soldiers watering officers' horses at the watering point outside St Gratien in the foreground. In the middle distance the Albert-Bapaume road is visible, and in the far distance there are explosions, shelling and smoke rising. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England...

Watercolour and charcoal sketch depicting a group of 5th Division AIF staff officers watching Amiens being shelled and burned, from fields near Coisy. There is a windmill in the middle distance as well as a train of calvary. In the distance can be seen the town of Amiens with smoke rising and...

Watercolour, gouache and charcoal sketch depicting a view of the River valley, looking south from Vequemont towards Daours, Boise de l'Abbe is indicated on the skyline. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a...

Depicts Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Peck, CMG, DSO, General Staff 5th Division, working at AIF headquarters St Gratien. Peck (1886-1928), was born on 22 July 1886 in Sydney. He enlisted as a gunner in the Garrison Artillery in 1907. By 1912 he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the...

Depicts a view of the courtyard at Bertangles, where AIF Corps headquarters were located, with despatch riders on motorcycles arriving and leaving, and soldiers, chickens and horses throughout the courtyard, There are also several aircraft in the sky. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham,...

Depicts a soldier of the 5th Division sitting outside a tent in the encampment, smoking a pipe and writing a letter home. Outside the tent is a pole/stick with a knapsack and top hat hanging from it. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia...

Watercolour sketch depicting a view of Villers-Bretonneux from a field near Bussy, with trench and soldiers training. In the distance smoke is rising from the bombardments at Villers-Bretonneux. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and...

Depicts the walls of the headquarters of 5th Division, 15th Brigade AIF at Heilly. There are several Australian soldiers standing near the gateway. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman ,...

Depicts the interior view of a barn at Bussy which was used as billets for Australian soldiers. The soldiers depicted in the image are from the 5th Division, AIF. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic...

Watercolour sketch of a windmill in the countryside with a view of Amiens and its cathedral in the distance.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman , working on the staff of illustrated...

Depicts a group of soldiers from the 5th Division in the shade of a tree smoking and playing cards. There are tents and buildings in the background. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman ,...

Depicts the 5th Australian Division, Signals Company at the St Gratien headquarters, with two men sitting at desk in office used by Commanding 5th Division Signals Corp, on left is a despatch rider, above the desk is a row of fob watches on chains, probably used for synchronising time (before a...

Depicts a street in St Gratien, which was the headquarters of 5th Division with soldiers walking in street, horses, an old lady with a walking stick and the church tower visible in the background. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia...

Depicts three gun limbers hidden under trees outside Coisy, with horses tethered nearby and the 5th Division encampment in the field in the distance. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman ,...

Depicts the attack on Hamel-Vaire by the Australian Corps, 4th Division and 5th Tank Brigade and American Expeditionary Force, from an Observation Post at dawn on 4 July 1918. In the distance is artillery smoke and explosions.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In...

Depicts groups of men from the 5th Division in a street in Coisy during their recreation time. The street also contains several Coisy inhabitants, livestock and wagons. In the background, the tower of the Coisy Church is visible. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863....

Soldiers of the 53rd Battalion, 1st Australian Imperial Force, are depicted during an attack at the Western Front. Stretcher bearers carrying a rolled stretcher can be seen at the right of the image, while in the centre foreground a soldier is shown bandaging his own leg, with his rifle propped...

This work was painted on the first of Fullwood's tours of duty in France, in the summer of 1918. It shows a high, grassy escarpment sweeping into the middle distance, topped by a dark olive silhouetted ridge of trees and with chalky outcrops and roads in the river valley below. The manner in which...

Watercolour, gouache and charcoal sketch depicting a view of the ruins of Ypres with the Menin Gate in the foreground and Cloth Hall in the background. Ypres was the scene of almost constant fighting throughout the First World War as it was a strategically important town.
Albert Henry Fullwood...

Depicts a street corner in Le Cateau with two soldiers looking at ruins, a peasant wheeling a hand cart. Le Cateau was liberated from German occupation in October 1918 and was situated in Hindenburg Line area.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed...

Depicts a scene of a soldier standing outside the Cape Castle barracks during the afternoon. The British government military headquarters during the Boer War were in Cape Castle, Cape Town - a sixteenth century castle that had had many additions to the structure over the years. Australians who...

Depicts the AIF aerodrome near Bertangles, with field observation binoculars (tripod legs) in right foreground, several soldiers and pilots of the No 3 Squadron, aircraft in the aerodrome and sky ( the aircraft are RE8 (Reconnaissance Experimental)), and several petrol cans can be seen ready to...

Watercolour, gouache and charcoal sketch depicting a series of water-filled craters with wreckage along the sides, the result of a German ammunition train explosion during the German retreat in October 1918. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to...

Depicts the encampment of the 5th Division, 5th Pioneer Battalion at Bussy, with a series of dugouts on the side of a road and soldiers resting.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman , working...

Portrait sketch of Brigadier General Alfred Joseph Bessell-Browne, commanding officer of the 5th Division Australian Field Artillery, seated at a desk at the AIF headquarters in St Gratien. Bessell-Browne volunteered for South Africa in 1899, enlisting in the 1st Western Australian Contingent as a...

Depicts the Post Office at Bussy les Daours in a Nissen hut, with a group of soldiers at the door and another group reading a notice board on the wall of a house. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic...

Depicts the entrance to the courtyard at Bertangles where Australian Corps headquarters was situated. there is a sentry on guard at the gate, two soldiers conversing to the left of the gate and a soldier passing through the gate. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863....

Depicts a view of the chateau at St Gratien which was used as headquarters for the 5th Division AIF. In the middle ground are several Australian soldiers and a tent. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic...

Depicts an encampment at Coisy with bell tents in a forest, surrounded by walls of sandbags. There are two soldiers in middle distance sitting by a camp fire and a soldier carrying to buckets of water to the left. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he...

Depicts the liberated town of Solre-le-Chateau after the armistice. The image depicts the town square with the Church bell tower and town hall in the background with the towns inhabitants attempting to return to normal life. Solre-le-Chateau was the headquarters of 5th Australian Division,...

Depicts the horse lines for 5th Division Transport, in orchard an orchard outside the village of Bussy.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman , working on the staff of illustrated journals...

Depicts the encampment of the 5th Australian Division, 15th Brigade, AIF at Allonville Woods. There are soldiers resting and relaxing in the camp. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman ,...

Depicts a view of the road to Querrieu with a line of trucks entering the village, the road is lined with poplars, a group of soldiers is seated under them and a soldier is walking towards the village. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to...

Depicts two officers in their living quarters which were located in a cellar in the town of Bussy. The officer in the foreground is seated on his bed in full uniform and smoking a pipe, and the other officer is seated on a crated in the middleground. There are several items of clothing hanging...

Watercolour sketch depicting a view of the tank headquarters in the fields near St Gratien with soldiers and tents visible. In the distance puffs of artillery smoke can be seen. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a...

Depicts the ammunition dump near Daours with horse drawn vehicles and stacked boxes in ammunition dump concealed in a grove of trees on the right. The left of the image contains civilian buildings, telegraph poles. There are also numerous Australian soldiers depicted. Albert Henry Fullwood was born...

Depicts the gateway and chateau at Bertangles, which was used as Corps headquarters. There is a sentry on guard duty. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic draughtsman , working on the staff of...

Etching depicting a memorial ceremony at the Cenotaph war memorial in Martin Place, with wreaths around base and others being placed by members of the public. It appears to have been raining on the day Fullwood captured this image giving it a sense of quiet reflection.
Albert Henry Fullwood was...

Depicts the interior of the administration and communication facilities used by the general staff of 5th Division AIF at St Gratien. The four general staff are working in an improvised office, using billiard table for a desk with papers spread across and improvised shades over light fittings....

Depicts a view of the square, town hall, and church at Oisemont with crowds of soldiers and townspeople on Christmas day 1918. Oisemont was the headquarters of 3rd Division AIF.
Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a...

Depicts soldiers of the 5th Division AIF and civilians in a street in the village of Coisy, listening to the town crier in a donkey cart, proclaiming latest war news. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a lithographic...

Depicts the courtyard of the chateau at St Gratien, which was the headquarters of 5th Division AIF. In the courtyard are several soldiers, horses and roaming chickens. Albert Henry Fullwood was born in Birmingham, England in March 1863. In 1883 he sailed to Australia and began work as a...

Watercolour sketch depicting a stretch of Amiens-Albert road, with hessian screens erected along one side. In the foreground two Australian soldiers are seated by the side of the road and another soldier is standing smoking a pipe. A lorry is also moving up the road towards the soldiers. Albert...

Depicts a view of the road to Amiens from Dury (Rue de Paris ). The duty hospital is at the left of the image with several soldiers and a nurse standing outside. There are also several soldiers standing by the side of the road watching the Germans shelling the town in the distance, a church is also...

Depicts many Australian official war artists who were attached to different divisions of the AIF during the First World War, in a group portrait. The painting was originally owned by Cyril Steele of Melbourne. It was noted that the painting was considered to be an example of Coates' work that was...

Depicts the death of Baron von Richthofen, otherwise known as the Red Baron, his crashed aircraft, which was a Fokker Dr.I triplane, and Australian stretcher bearers from the 5th Australian Division carrying the body away. The death of Manfred von Richthofen, or the Red Baron, on 21 April 1918, has...

ART02495

Photograph

Probably London, England, c. 1917. Informal indoor portrait of Sergeant Albert Henry Fullwood, Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). In 1918, Fullwood joined the 1st AIF as an honorary lieutenant and served as an official war artist. (Donor E. Walker)

The ramparts at the north east corner of the town of Peronne (visible in the background) taken from the edge of Le Quinconce Cemetery. On 1 September the 53rd Battalion along with members of the 56th Battalion left the line located at the cemetery and attacked in the direction of the grass grown...

The ramparts at the north east corner of the town of Peronne (visible in the background). On 1 September the 53rd Battalion along with some members of the 56th Battalion left the line located at the cemetery and attacked in the direction of the grass grown ramparts near the town. In this position...